Utopia
by Data Girl 3
Summary: HEAT investigates frequent mutant sightings in the African deserts, where they come across a hidden paradise where a small group of people attempts to live a peaceful and symbiotic existence with mutants. Beta Reader: dragonchic. Update: Chapter 7 is up.
1. Prologue

It was a warm, but not unbearably hot, summer day, in which the sky was endlessly blue, with not a cloud in sight. A salty breeze rose up and lightly tousled the brown hair of Nick Tatopoulos. The biologist was currently sitting cross-legged outside the abandoned Staten Island Ferry boathouse which now served as the headquarters for the H.E.A.T. team, watching as the 180 foot tall mutant reptile, known throughout the whole world as Godzilla, swam along the harbor.

As he sat, Nick took a moment to consider how much his life had changed. A few years ago, if anyone had ever told him that he would one day find himself as the leader of a group of scientists/adventurers who traveled the world fighting against any mutation that reared their heads, or that he would be sharing a unique bond with the radioactive-fire-breathing, supper-fast, super-smart Godzilla, he'd have thought they had been watching too many science-fiction movies. However, Nick could no longer imagine his life any other way. Especially not without Godzilla. At first, Nick's interest in the creature had been purely scientific, a chance; a chance to study a major biological discovery. But it wasn't long before he found himself genuinely caring for the mutation. He would not soon forget the day when he believed Godzilla had been destroyed by the military, back when he had been half-grown. It was at that precise moment in time that Nick had realized how much Godzilla had become a part of him. When it had seemed like Godzilla had died, Nick had felt part of himself die with the gargantuan creature. But Godzilla had miraculously survived, and Nick had made a silent oath that no matter what it took, he would never again let anyone threaten Godzilla's life.

As Nick sat contemplating, he sensed someone coming up behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a man in his late fifties, walking up with the aid of a cane.

"I trust I have the honor of addressing Dr. Nick Tatopoulos?" The man inquired.

"I suppose you do." Nick nodded, getting to his feet, slightly surprised to be addressed so formally. "How can I help?"

"My name is Samuel Brookins." The man introduced himself. "I have a terrible dilemma. My nephew and his friends were on an internship in the African desert. But they have gone missing. Their camp was found deserted a week ago, in serious disarray. My nephew's camera was found among the wreckage. They contained these photographs." Brookins passed Nick a manila envelope. Inside were a series of blurry shots featuring a strange creature.

"It appears to be some sort of mutant fox." Nick surmised, examining the pictures.

"I know it is bold of me to ask," Brookins announced. "But I know your people have experience with these creatures. I hope you would be kind enough to head down to the Sahara desert, and see if you could find my nephew?"

* * *

**AN: **Very short, I know. The plot will pick up soon. Promise. 


	2. A New Ally

"Guys, we have to stop." Craven announced for the fifth time in the past half hour.

"Again?!" Randy complained as H.E.A.T. halted the camels they had been riding across the desert, as Craven dismounted his to head back to NIGEL, who was stalled. "That stupid bucket of bolts is slowing us down!"

"NIGEL is not a bucket of bolts. He's a highly sophisticated piece of machinery."

"Yeah, some sophistication." Randy rolled his eyes. "He's so sophisticated he gets sand clogged in his wheels and we gotta stop so Craven can clean them out."

"That's enough fighting, you two." Nick reprimanded, acting as peacemaker. "We've got another couple of miles before we reach the campsite. Arguing will only make the time seem longer."

"I just hope it's not too much longer," Randy sighed. "Crave man is really getting on my nerves."

"I'm more worried about Godzilla." Nick mulled. "If we run into trouble out here, and he comes…. I always get worried when he strays this far from water."

"Hey, no worries, Jefé." Randy assured. "The G-Man can handle it." Meanwhile, Elsie was taking a drink from the canteen she'd brought along, and tried passing it to Monique.

"Say, French Fry. You want some?"

"When I was trained in the DGSE, we covered surviving in harsh conditions during our training." The French agent replied. "I just had some. I can continue for another half hour." Without another word, Monique urged her camel to continue on.

"Yeah, I'm sure you can." Elsie groaned after her.

* * *

Sometime later, H.E.A.T. had finally arrived at the deserted camp. It was even worse then Brookins had described it. The tents had been completely slashed and all the equipment was broken beyond repair and scattered everywhere. 

"All right, everyone." Nick commanded. "Lets get to work." For the next few minutes, the group moved through the devastated campsite.

"Hey, Nick?" Elsie called suddenly. She had been scanning the area with a Geiger counter.

"What did you find, Elsie?" Nick asked, crouching down to her side to check her readout.

"That's just it, Nick." Elsie frowned in confusion. "We checked the equipment before heading out, and it was working fine then.

"So, what's the problem?"

"There's no reading." Elsie pointed to the meter. "There's absolutely no residual radioactivity registering."

* * *

H.E.A.T. eventually set up a temporary camp near the abandoned site, in the shadow of a rocky edifice. When night arrived, Craven left the tent to get a drink from one of the 6-gallon water containers. In doing so, he noticed Elsie standing alone. Immediately, he went up to join her. 

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

"No." Elsie admitted. "I'm feeling pretty stupid, now. I was thinking it would be warmer here at night. It's a desert, after all. Don't tell Monique, though. Last thing I need is her acting high and mighty about her survival skills."

"I won't say a word." Craven promised. Elsie smiled slightly before experiencing a small shiver. Hesitating for only a moment, Craven placed an arm around her, gently rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm her.

"Thank you." Elsie acknowledged the gesture with sincere gratitude.

A warm blush instantly blossomed on Craven's broad face. "I…um…. I wonder what happened to the students." Craven voiced his curiosity, attempting to hide his nervousness at Elsie's closeness.

"What I can't figure," Elsie added, "was how a mutant fox could get out here. There haven't been any reports of anything occurring in the area to suggest a mutation could occur. And why wasn't the Geiger counter registering any residual radiation?"

"I don't know." Craven answered, wishing he could say something more constructive. "But I'm sure something will answer that question."

"Maybe." Elsie sighed. "I guess we better get back to sleep, though." However, as they headed back to camp, they froze at the sight of the silhouette that was framed against the night sky. It was the mutant fox from the photos Brookins had given Nick. The mutant stood at a size of a large city bus, from paw to shoulder. It must have hidden itself against the rocky structure. Now, it was looking poised to attack.

"NICK!" Craven shouted to the camp. "NICK! IT'S THE FOX!" Craven's warning, however, made his presence known to the fox, who directed its attention to Craven and Elsie. The duo turned to run the instant they realized the danger they were in. When the fox pounced, they dodged to the side. In doing so, Craven lost his footing on some loose sand and went tumbling down a large slope. In trying to catch her teammate, Elsie ended up falling with him.

"Elsie! Mendel!" Nick cried. The biologist, along with Randy and Monique, had been alerted by Craven's earlier shout, and had all witnessed the narrow escape. Hearing Nick, the fox turned back around, deciding that it would be more worth its while to go for the three then to try to catch the two who'd been separated from the group. However, just as the fox started to go for Nick and the others, a very familiar roar echoed through the desert, and Godzilla appeared atop the nearby rocky edifice. Without hesitating, Godzilla leapt from his perch and began an attempt to drive away the mutant fox, determined to protect Nick from harm. As Godzilla struck, the mutant fox managed to jump out of the way. In the process, the mutant fox kicked up some of the sand with its paw. The sand flew up into Godzilla's eyes, prompting the mutant iguana to roar in pain. Taking advantage of Godzilla's temporary blindness, the mutant fox once again started to slowly approach H.E.A.T. At that moment, a series of flares flew by between the mutant fox and H.E.A.T. The bright lights managed to temporary distract the fox, giving Godzilla time to remove the sand from his eyes and head-butt the fox to the ground. With his resounding roar, Godzilla sent a blast of his fire breath at the fox. The impact of the fire on the ground sent up a wave of sand that completely eliminated visibility for a moment or two. Once the sand settled, the mutant fox was gone. Instead, there was a large hole that had been dug into the desert surface. The mutant fox had apparently burrowed into the ground to avoid the attack. Godzilla stepped forward and started to sniff at the hole.

"Dr. Tatopoulos." A voice spoke up. Nick, Randy, and Monique all tuned to see three strangers had appeared behind them. Two were in matching cream-colored desert robes. But the third, a blond haired, blue-eyed young man, was in khaki pants and matching vest. This was the one who spoke. "I suggest you come with us. Coomba will be back. You can be sure of that."

"Who are you?" Monique demanded.

"Aaron O'Brian." The leader of the small group introduced himself. "And I really suggest you come with us before Coomba returns."

"Coomba?" Randy glanced at Aaron in confusion.

"That's the name of the mutant fennec fox." Aaron explained. "I can honestly say that one's dangerous."

"Wait, we have to find Mendel and Elsie." Nick insisted. "They fell over those dunes. We have to find them! They could be hurt!" Aaron frowned in concern.

"I understand your concern. However, we won't be able to help anyone if Coomba finds us before we find your friends. I promise you I'll send some people to search the Sahara once we get to safety. Now, please, come with us."

"And how can we trust you?" Monique fired out. Aaron turned to her, looking very serious.

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice. It's trust us, or take your chances with Coomba. And Dr. Tatopoulos, your mutant partner, Godzilla, is free to come along." At this logic, the group followed Aaron and his two companions to a very large sand dune. Aaron's companions, to Nick, Randy, and Monique's surprise, pressed a hidden button on the surface, and the side of the dune slid open, revealing a large passageway; one that was even large enough for Godzilla to come through. "Well, come on then everyone." Aaron led the way through the passageway, with Nick coaxing Godzilla into the entrance.

"Aaron?" Nick turned to the stranger. "Could I ask where this passage leads?"

"This, Dr. Tatopoulos," Aaron smiled at the biologist, "leads to our home. It leads to Utopia."


	3. Enter Luna

**AN: **Sorry for the wait. There was apparantly a slight problem with my beta-reader's e-mail service provider, or whatever it's called, and the edited chapter got lost somewhere in mid-transfer. Anyway, hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to be up.

* * *

Somewhere away, at the base of a sand dune, Craven gave a small groan, puling himself into a sitting position. 

"Elise?" The robotist turned to the redhead, who had landed next to him when they fell down the sand dune, and helped her up. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Elsie confirmed while rubbing the back of her head. She then looked up the sand dune to assess how far they'd fallen. "Now what?"

"Hold on." Craven took out his control pad. "I'll call NIGEL. He can help us find the way back to camp."

"I just hope the others weren't…."

"I'm sure they managed to escape that fox." Craven assured. After sending her a supporting smile, Craven turned his attention back to calling NIGEL. After what seemed like an eternity, the yellow robot appeared. "There he is! Come on; let's follow him back to camp." However, just as the pair began to follow NIGEL, the ground shock slightly. Moments after the shaking began, the ground erupted. When the sand settled, the mutant fennec fox, Coomba, had appeared in front of them. Beneath the mutant's paw was a crushed yellow robot.

"NIGEL!" Craven cried. "NOOO!"

"Mendel, come on!" Elsie cried, yanking Craven's arm in an attempt to get him to run. Craven and Elsie fled from the fox, but just couldn't shake it. As they ran, they came across a large jutting rock in the desert. Hoping to loose the mutant in the rocks, Craven and Elsie changed directions and ran straight into it. Unfortunately, they ran into a dead end which Coomba successfully cornered them in. Coomba slowly inched forward, preparing for the kill. Craven and Elsie cringed, bracing for the fox to pounce. But when the mutant was in mid leap, a black and white blur streaked by and collided with the fox. Craven and Elsie turned to where Coomba had been knocked aside. Standing protectively between them and the mutant fox was a second mutant. This one was a mutant giant panda. Coomba and the panda began circling each other, like wolves preparing to fight. Simultaneously, they leapt at each other, clawing and biting, in flashes of fangs and claws. As the mutants fought, a gloved hand dropped onto Craven's shoulder. The hand was revealed to belong to a young Asian woman with emerald green eyes.

"You two might want to get clear." She suggested with a smile. "Bamboo can handle the Wild One." Shaking off their surprise, Craven and Elise followed the woman up the rocky edifice, the woman occasionally pointing out footholds to them. As soon as they reached the top, a loud echoing bark was heard. Looking back, the trio saw the fox running off.

"Coomba." The woman sighed. "A true feral, that one. Not even Aaron would suggest incorporating him into our home." With that, she turned to Craven and Elise. "You two were unharmed, I hope?"

"Yeah, thanks to you getting there in time." Elsie breathed in relief. "Those two mutants would have gotten us for sure." A large, amused grin appeared on the woman's face.

"Two mutants?"

"Well, yeah!" Craven exclaimed. "If that fox didn't kill us, that panda would have."

"What, Bamboo?" Now the woman appeared to be fighting back a laugh. At that moment, a high-pitched yip was heard. Looking down, the three of them saw the mutant panda. Only now, he was the size of a full-grown rabbit.

"How's that possible!?" Craven gaped. "It shrank!" To Craven and Elise's further surprise, the woman knelt down, extending an arm to the creature. The mutant panda jumped onto her arm and quickly climbed up to her shoulder, where it took up perch, perfectly docile, nuzzling her cheek with his nose.

"For starters," the woman announced. "Bamboo is a 'he', not an 'it.' Secondly, that's his special mutant ability: rearranging his molecular structure to alter his size. Thirdly, he'd never harm anyone, unless that someone tried to harm me."

"Are you saying you tamed that mutant?" Elsie asked incredulously.

"The word 'taming'. You make it sound like Bamboo's a simple pet, or an animal trained to jump through a hoop. No. Bamboo's my partner, and my most faithful friend. But that's not important right now. Coomba might return at any time. It would be best to return to my home. We'll be perfectly safe there. If you'd follow me. Unless, you want to take your chances with Coomba?" The woman began to walk off, Bamboo still sitting on her shoulder.

"Hey, wait!" Craven called after her. "How are we supposed to trust you? We don't even know you!"

"Luna."

"What?"

"Luna." The woman repeated with a casual smile. "I'm called Luna."

* * *

Elsewhere, Aaron had led Nick, Randy and Monique into the heart of Utopia, and was grinning at the stunned expressions on the three members of H.E.A.T.'s faces. They stood staring out at a jungle paradise. Exotic trees of all species filled the monumental area. Within the center of it all was a clearing that had to cover at least two square miles. The clearing even featured a waterfall that emptied into a crystal blue pool. 

"It's some kind of underground oasis!" Nick gaped in amazement.

"And it's the best place to maintain our society." Aaron beamed in pride for his home. "Anywhere else, we'd have to worry about people from the outside world stumbling in and raising a riot that would cause mass hysteria."

"How could living here cause a riot?" Randy voiced his disbelief.

"Because it's part of human nature to fear what they don't understand. Here in Utopia, however, we try to evolve beyond that. Throughout history, so much bloodshed has grown from fear and mistrust. Utopians will not continue that tradition. We live in unity with nature, and with all creatures."

"And how would that induce fear?" Monique asked.

"It would be best if you see firsthand." Aaron led the group down a path that went into the jungle. Godzilla had already gone off to make his own evaluation of the new surroundings. The small group stopped by the waterfall. For a moment, there was nothing to see. But a sudden wind jostled the treetops, and a mutant bee and a mutant locust appeared.

"Aaron!" Nick cried in alarm, but the blue-eyed man just shook his head.

"There's no reason to worry, Dr. Tatopolus." Aaron stated. "Take a look." The mutant bee and mutant locust both hovered by the tree tops. To the amazement of Nick, Randy, and Monique, two men appeared, riding atop the backs of the mutants. The men started gathering fruit from the tops of the trees. "This is what Utopia is." Aaron explained. "Humans and Mutants living together in symbiotic harmony."

"You can't…" Nick sputtered. "Aaron, how can you…?"

"You are insane." Monique rebuked. "Mutants are dangerous. They cannot be tamed."

"And yet, they aren't attacking." Aaron pointed out.

"And how are you preventing that?" Monique persisted. "We have seen Mutants being controlled before. Mind control on Monster Island, neural stimulators, or have you altered their brains through surgery?"

"They are not being controlled." Aaron replied calmly. "The only thing keeping them in line is one simple thing. Kindness. They aid us, and we help care for them."

"I'm with Monique on this one." Nick stepped in. "We've faced Mutants countless times, and not one of them showed any signs of being cooperative."

"Is that right?" Aaron answered skeptically. "Not one mutant has displayed the ability to live alongside humans peacefully?"

"No. They haven't."

"Not even your Godzilla?" Aaron's response left Nick speechless. The momentary silence was broken by Randy.

"So, you actually ride Mutants? Cool!" Nick and Monique's looks wiped the impressed grin from his face. "What?"

"I still think you're out of your mind." Monique announced.

"Aaron, putting the Mutant issue aside for now," Nick inputted, "there's still the matter of Elsie and Mendel. They're still out there with that mutant fox. Or are you going to tell me that it's one of your 'tame' mutants."

"I assure you, Dr. Tatopolous. Coomba is not associated in any way to Utopia. As for your teammates, it appears some word is coming now." Aaron gestured to the two men who had been with him upon rescuing H.E.A.T. from Coomba. "Amicus, Kinley. Have you found anything?"

"Just the remains of the camels they brought, Aaron." Kinley replied. "Which is probably good news for the missing pair. Coomba won't be looking for prey, since he just fed."

"I see." Aaron nodded. "Well, keep looking. Coomba isn't the only danger out there. There are plenty other threats, and not necessarily the Mutant kind."

"Aaron!" A twelve year old girl suddenly appeared. With her was a mutant mongoose and what appeared to be a baby mutant sugar glider.

"And there's my precious trio." Aaron grinned, giving the girl a half hug and scratching the underside of the mutant mongoose's muzzle before making introductions to H.E.A.T. "The mutant mongoose, Tiki Tavi; my symbiotic partner in Utopia. And my sister, Ellen, with her partner, Foxglove." Ignoring the skeptical glances of Nick and Monique, Aaron knelt down to speak with Ellen. "So what's going on, Ellen?"

"Aaron, she's back!" Ellen declared in excitement. "She just returned! And she found their missing friends!"

"Well, that is great news." Aaron smiled. "Thank you, Ellen." The girl grinned at the gratitude, and left with Foxglove. Aaron turned to Nick and the others. "Well, it seems like your friends are safe. Best to go meet up with them." As the four headed off, Nick spoke up.

"Who's back, Aaron?"

"My second-in-command." Aaron explained. "She's the one who searches the world, looking for any mutants who are wounded or orphaned and need out aid. This time, she'd been gone for almost three months." As Aaron finished explaining, they came to the entrance to Utopia, where some other Utopian members were gathered around Craven, Elsie, and a young Asian woman who was accompanied by a rabbit-sized mutant panda. The woman was handing a Utopian member a woven basket that contained what was left of NIGEL, assuring Craven that he'd receive any help he needed in rebuilding the robot.

"Luna!" Aaron went up to the Asian woman who smiled back at him before they bowed in respectful greeting. "Welcome back."

"Good to be back, Aaron." Luna nodded. "Hope I'm in time for the…." Luna was cut off in mid sentence. Monique had suddenly run up to her and punched her to the ground, where she sat nursing her sore nose.

"Monique, what are you…?!" Nick began. However, Monique's furious shouting interrupted him.

"Give me one good reason not to give you twice that much." She hissed. Luna slowly glanced up at Monique, looking suddenly weary.

"Hello again, Monique." Luna greeted. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"


	4. The Origin of Bamboo

"You two know each other?" Craven looked between the two women in confusion.

"I thought I did," Monique glared. "But I was _clearly_ wrong."

"Monique, I don't know what happened with you two," Nick began.

"No, it's alright." Luna assured as she got to her feet, still gingerly touching her nose. "I deserved that. I guess I should have at least left with a resignation notice."

"Resignation notice." Monique scoffed. "You left without any word."

"Okay!" Elise interrupted. "Could one of you explain what you're talking about?"

"Well," Luna began reluctantly. "Monique and I… we were both agents in the DGSE. That is, until I decided to leave."

"And left without notifying anyone." Monique glowered. "She just disappeared one day without any warning whatsoever."

"I couldn't stay." Luna replied simply.

"That's no excuse." Monique challenged.

"But it's an honest one. I suppose I just wasn't cut out for being a good soldier, like you are. I can't follow orders that go against what I believe in. _That's_ why I left."

"And what orders were so impossible for you to follow?"

"Monique, if you have to ask, you'll never understand." For a long moment, the two women stood looking at one another, Luna's expression stern and serious, while Monique's was furious and unforgiving. But then, Aaron broke the tension.

"Luna, perhaps you should head down to Utopia's hot springs to relax for a bit. You've had a very long journey."

"Thank you, Aaron. That does sound like a good idea." With that, Luna left the group with Bamboo following her closely. Once they were gone, Aaron turned back to H.E.A.T. with a smile.

"Now then," he spoke. "I suppose you'd like to be shown around, and ask some questions?"

* * *

"As I explained earlier," Aaron spoke as he showed H.E.A.T. through Utopia, "Every member of Utopia, when they come of age, is partnered to a young mutant. We always have a ceremony to partner the two together. Speaking of which, it's actually quite fortunate that you came around when you did. We're holding one of the ceremonies tonight. As you've all learned, it's very difficult for full-grown mutants to adhere to this society. The older they are, the more they grow to distrust humans. That's why we always select mutants who were born in Utopia, or were found orphaned young. It's the young who are the most trusting, after all. Once human and mutant become symbiotic partners, they go through their lives relying on each other. They become life-long allies, sharing a bond nothing can break. Protecting and sustaining each other."

"So, all the mutants here have been here from birth?" Craven asked, watching as a teenage Utopian female gathered some fruit from a nearby tree with the help of a mutant gazelle.

"Yes, with the exception of Bamboo. He was found outside Utopia."

"Aaron, it sounds like you take mutants and purposely try and change their natural behavior." Elsie challenged. "It's like walking into the woods and taking some bear cubs to raise them as pets."

"In all due respect, Dr. Chapman, our primitive ancestors performed similar acts with wolves and wild horses. And now it's hard to imagine our lives without the descendants of those animals. And we don't take mutants who have packs or family groups. Only those who have been orphaned, and would die if we don't take them. Furthermore, the mutants in Utopia are not treated as pets. It's a symbiotic existence. Both mutant and human benefit from interacting. We work together to grow and harvest all the food in Utopia. And the younger symbiotic partners play together." As Aaron continued the tour of Utopia, a sudden happy bark rang out. The group had come to a small collection of pools that held a vast assortment of fish. Over by one of the pools, Luna and Bamboo, who was now back to full size, were wading around in the water, working together to gather some of the fish. After a brief moment, Bamboo thrust his head into the water and came up with two fish in his jaws. Luna laughed and hugged the mutant panda, who let out a contented growl.

"Aaron?" Nick spoke up, watching Luna with Bamboo. "I was wondering. Could you tell us the story with those two?"

"Luna and Bamboo? What about them?"

"You said that Bamboo was not raised in Utopia like the other mutants, but he acts as harmless as the friendliest dog. I just wanted to understand how you managed to take a mutant and make it that docile. "

"I understand." Aaron smiled in the direction of the two in question. "That story occurred quite a few years ago, when Luna and I were en route to Utopia from this place up in Alaska, transporting an orphaned mutant salamander egg. We unfortunately, or rather fortunately, had to stop for a moment at this seedy establishment, to restock on food and supplies."

**Flashback**

Aaron filled his and Luna's packs with food the attending bartender had given them, while Luna offered some money in return, one hand poised above the simple dagger that hung from her belt, ready to use it if things got rough. The patrons, however, seemed to be too wrapped up in some event in the far end of the bar to pay heed to a pair of young twenty-something travelers.

"Right, I think that does it." Aaron announced, slinging his pack over his shoulder and handing Luna hers. "Best get going." Moments before they exited, however, a sudden bark was heard; too loud to have come from a common animal. Aaron and Luna immediately turned to the direction of the bark, which had come from the middle of the shouting crowd of drunken men. "Luna, wait!" Aaron called to his friend, who was already making her way over to identify the source of the bark. Relenting, Aaron followed her as the Asian girl forced her way to the front of the spectators. In doing so, the duo discovered what appeared to be some kind of dog fight going on. However, one of the combatants was by no means a dog.

"Oh!" Aaron gasped. "That's a mutant giant panda!" Sure enough, the second participant in the dog fight was a mutant panda. The characteristic black and white coat was caked with what looked like dried blood, and patches of fur were completely missing around its neck, revealing painful-looking scars lining the exposed skin, apparently from a chain that had been wrapped tightly around the mutant's neck. It was perfectly clear that the mutant panda had received cruel and inhumane treatment in the past. Small wonder that the poor creature appeared monstrous. Aaron and Luna watched in disgust as the battle between the mutant panda and the Rottweiler went on; teeth and claws ripping and tearing. But then, to everyone's amazement, the panda stopped fighting, and stood completely still. Almost instantly, Aaron realized that the mutant was looking right at Luna, almost as if it was in a trance.

"Stupid beast!" One of the men, who had been watching the fight, strode forward, brandishing an iron pole. "Quit standing there and fight!" The mutant panda paid no head to the rants of the man, and continued to stare at Luna. As a result, the man brought the iron pole down over the mutant's head, knocking it to the ground. However, the mutant panda showed no sign of fighting back, and just lied numbly on the sawdust covered ground, allowing the iron pole to crash down on him, again and again.

"STOP!" Aaron couldn't help but jump slightly at Luna's shout, as she charged forward and planted herself between the mutant panda and its tormenter, her dagger drawn and pointed at the man's throat. "Touch this poor creature again, and I swear I will kill you."

Aaron's jaw dropped as he watched his friend threaten this man. In all the years he'd known her, he'd never once heard Luna speak with so much anger radiating off her. The Asian girl was completely serious. She really would kill that man if he harmed the mutant further. The rest of the crowd seemed to sense this as well, for they immediately began to back away. As for the man, he tossed the iron pole aside, visibly shaken from the cold honesty in Luna's face.

"Good. Now, get out." Luna ordered. One-by-one, the crowd dissipated, not one man wishing to evoke the wrath of this dangerous young woman. Once the crowd had gone, Luna tuned and knelt at the mutant panda's side. All traces of anger had vanished from her face, and she was now stroking the mutant's fur with a gentle hand. "Aaron?" Luna turned to her friend, her face filled with concern for the beaten mutant. "Could you pass me your canteen?" Aaron shook off his shock at the rapidly changing mood of his friend, and passed her the canteen. Luna immediately set to work, using the contents of the canteen to wet a clean scarf from the supply bag, and gently cleaning the mutant panda's wounds. All the while, Luna spoke soothing, caring words to the mutant, who still would not take its eyes off of her.

**End Flashback**

"That mutant," Aaron concluded, "became known as Bamboo. We brought him back here, and Luna spent all her time caring for him. Once he regained full strength, Bamboo began following Luna everywhere. He's never left her side since, not once. It was like that story from Welsh mythology. Owain, who would become one of King Arthur's knights, once came across a dragon attacking a white lion. Owain assisted the lion to kill the dragon. The lion was grateful to Owain, and since then followed him like a shadow. It was the same with Luna and Bamboo. I never figured out what exactly made Bamboo stop fighting that night, and I probably never will. But I suppose the true reason doesn't really matter. What does matter is, so far in my life, I've only seen two instances when a mutant who wasn't raised in Utopia take to a human. This was one of them."

"What was the other?" Elsie asked. Aaron raised an eyebrow.

"I thought that would be obvious." He replied. Wordlessly, Aaron lifted up a hand, gesturing to Nick.


	5. The Symbiosis Ceremony

"You're talking about me and Godzilla?" Nick stared.

"Forgive me if I sound bold," Aaron replied with a revered smile. "But it's clear to me that you and that mutant marine iguana of yours have a symbiotic bond that rivals the one I have with Tiki Tavi."

"Hold on." Elsie interrupted. "Are you saying that you think Nick and Godzilla are like you people in Utopia?"

"Human and Mutant living together in harmony, depending on each other, and even loving each other." Aaron confirmed with a short nod. "Think of all the times Nick and Godzilla appeared to be on the same wavelength. Every time Godzilla comes when Nick's life is in danger, or listens to him when he's told to back down. You have to admit you've noticed."

"The reason Godzilla always comes when I'm in danger is because he imprinted on me when he was born." Nick argued. "It's nothing more then animal instinct."

"Call it what you want." Aaron shook his head. "But I've seen the mutants you've faced, and even some you have yet to come across, and I've rarely seen any reptilian mutant outside of Utopia that looks as healthy and well cared for as Godzilla. You can tell because of his scales and the incredible glossy sheen they have. He's absolutely beautiful."

"I appreciate your faith in our ability to care for Godzilla." Nick began after a brief pause. "But really, he mostly takes care of himself. We don't do anything. Godzilla does nothing more then what his instinct requires him to do."

"Exactly." Monique agreed. "Godzilla is nothing more then an animal, following animal instinct."

"And with that logic, you could say it's his instant to fight with the mutants he comes across, am I right?" Aaron inquired.

"That's right." Elsie confirmed. "He's defending his territory."

"In that case, wouldn't it be a logical assumption that he would continue fighting with a mutant, and not abandon that battle when someone, namely, Dr. Tatopoulos, is in danger of a fatal fall, like that incident when the Fire Monster you encountered at the oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico? But Godzilla did abandon that battle, didn't he? We're not completely ignorant of Dr. Tatopoulos' bond with Godzilla, after all. We've been watching your group for quite some time now, and have even aided you from the sidelines. You do remember that five million dollar grant, don't you?"

"That was you?!" Randy gaped.

"As I recall, you helped bring about an end to that horrible mutant circus of Tobias Wilson." Aaron explained. "Mutants, or any other animal, forced to perform cheap tricks for the sake of human entertainment. It's demeaning. When you achieved the goal we were trying to reach by shutting it down, it was a unanimous decision to send you a reward." Before more could be said, the man Aaron had called Amicus earlier joined the group.

"Forgive the interruption, Aaron," Amicus said. "But the Symbiosis Ceremony will be starting soon."

"Thank you, Amicus. If you could escort H.E.A.T. to the ceremony? I'm sure they'll find it worth their while."

"Of course." Amicus began to lead H.E.A.T. away.

"Where's Aaron going?" Craven asked, noticing the Utopian leader was going off in a different direction.

"Aaron's the co-founder of Utopia, after all." Amicus explained. "It's his job to run the Symbiosis Ceremony, so he's gone to prepare and get ready for it.

"And what is the Symbiosis Ceremony?"

"It's when all Utopians who have become of age are partnered to the mutant who will be their Symbiotic Partner. You'll get the idea pretty quickly."

* * *

The Symbiosis Ceremony turned out to be held at the waterfall where H.E.A.T. had first learned what Utopia was. This time, the clearing was filled with Utopians and Mutants of various species, all circled around the clearing. The members of H.E.A.T. were all surprised to see Godzilla was also among the mutants who were assembled, appearing completely unbothered by the presence of so many mutants. He seemed to understand that these mutants weren't a threat, and refrained from fighting them. Amicus directed H.E.A.T. to a place near the waterfall, where they received warm welcomes from the Utopians. In front of everyone there were woven placemats. Aaron's sister, Ellen, leaned over to explain.

"After the ceremony, we always have a small feast, with the food that's grown and harvested in Utopia." After a moment, a group of children, all around ten-years-old, came into the clearing and assembled side-by-side, facing a high-peaked frame-tent that had been set up over some sort of wooden enclosure. The children wore identical outfits of dull brown tunics, with matching slacks for the boys and ankle-length skirts for the girls. For almost two minutes, the children stood in the clearing, watching the enclosure, until a gate opened up and Aaron and Luna stepped out. Both were dressed in outfits identical to the children, except theirs were creamy white, and the tunics were sleeveless, exposing the intricate henna tattoos that decorated their arms. Bamboo was the size of a rabbit again, and sat contently on Luna's bare shoulder. Aaron stepped forward and began to speak.

"Here in Utopia, we all know of our belief that Humans and Mutants can live together, and we work every day to make that belief a reality. Today, some of our youngest Utopians have come of age, and are able to do their part. From this day forward, they and their chosen Symbiotic Partner, selected by fate, will live together and depend on one another, existing in perfect symbiotic harmony until the day they die. The Symbiosis Ceremony begins now."

When Aaron finished his introductory speech, he called up one boy named John, holding out a cloth bag decorated with beads and feathers. John reached into the bag and pulled out a figurine of a white tiger. Once the figurine had been selected, Luna turned and entered the wooden enclosure, reemerging soon afterwards with a mutant white tiger cub in her arms. Gently, she presented the mutant tiger to John, who then joined the crowd watching the ceremony. One-by-one, the other children each selected an animal figurine from the pouch, and received a mutant partner that was identical to the figurine they picked. One timid-looking girl was partnered to a mutant chipmunk, and another child obtained a mutant sea lion. A pair of twins went up together, and were presented with a mutant chameleon and a mutant ostrich. Eventually, each child had been partnered to a mutant.

As the ceremony came to a close, Luna took out a simple flute that was constructed out of a bamboo stalk and played a short tune. When the tune was over, she and Aaron took a seat among the crowd as a small handful of Utopians began to serve everyone some food. The meal was grilled fish, honey-glazed yams, and a healthy serving of a tropical fruit tart. The mutants, on the other hand, were each given gigantic clay bowls, so large it took over twenty men to move them, filled with meat, dead insects, seeds, or, in Godzilla's case, fish.

"So that was a Symbiosis Ceremony." Elsie mused, taking a bite of her yams. "What happens now?"

"After the meal," Ellen explained, "We can go off and continue with whatever task we were working on before the ceremony began. The Utopians who were in the ceremony, however, are given the rest of the night alone with their mutant partners, to choose a name and bond with them. I remember when I took part in the ceremony two years ago, and got Foxglove as my Symbiotic Partner." Ellen stroked the head of the mutant sugar glider that was sitting next to her. Foxglove, in turn, nuzzled Ellen's cheek.

As the feast continued, Nick cast his eyes over the Utopians and the Mutants, all contently eating. Not one of the mutants showed any sign of attacking, and the mutants who had just been paired to their human partners were allowing them to stroke and pet them. Sighing, Nick looked over at Godzilla, who was making short work of the fish the Utopians had brought him. By chance, a fish fell out of his bowl. A mutant cheetah, who had been eating next to Godzilla, picked up the fish and tossed it back into the mutant iguana's bowl. Godzilla let out a low growl, showing his gratitude. A small smile appeared on Nick's face as he returned to his meal. Maybe, just maybe, he could give Utopia the benefit of a doubt.


	6. Calm Before the Storm

"Oh, I could get used to this." Elsie announced, relaxing back in one of Utopia's hot springs.

Ellen, who was bathing in the hot spring next to Elsie, agreed. "Yeah, it always feels good coming here after a long day of harvesting the food for the Symbiosis Ceremony. And it's even better if you're coming back home after a long period of absence, searching for new orphaned mutants who need to be brought to Utopia." The two women sighed deeply, clearing their minds to just enjoy the warmth of the water. After a moment, Elsie took a moment to look around. The hot springs were filled with other Utopians and their Mutant partners. Some of the mutants whose instinct it was to avoid water were even soaking in the heated water.

"I've been studying animal behavior for years," Elsie mused. "But so many things I see here go against everything I learned."

"Like what?" Ellen asked.

"Well, for starters, your mutant sugar glider." Elsie gestured to Foxglove. "Sugar gliders are unable to swim, but she's curled up very close to the water."

"That's because mutants do not just surpass their non-mutated cousins in size and abilities." Ellen explained. "They're also considerably more intelligent. And when the humans raise the mutant, that intelligence tends to be even greater. I mean, you must have noticed it with Godzilla. And the more intelligent a mutant becomes, the more they learn to balance natural instinct with trust and understanding. To reuse your example of Foxglove, it's true her species does not have the ability to swim. But she also knows she's in no danger of drowning. Because she trusts that I'll be there to keep that from happening."

"So, you're saying if we try your methods with the mutants on Monster Island, then over time, they'll…"

"You won't go out and tell the military about this place, will you?" Ellen suddenly grew panicked. "You can't do that! That'll ruin everything!"

"I don't understand."

"The military isn't exactly favored in Utopia." Ellen explained. "They can never know about this place. We've seen how they view mutations. 'Destroy all monsters;' isn't that their philosophy? How do we know they won't barrel into this place and blow it apart the second they get wind of Utopia's existence? They don't exactly have a record of doing otherwise, do they?" Elsie paused to think about that for a moment. She had to admit Ellen did have a point. There were a number of times the military had tried to destroy Godzilla, even right after he'd saved the world from another mutation.

"They won't hear about this place from me." Elsie promised after a while. A grateful smile appeared on Ellen's face.

"Thank you, Dr. Chapman."

* * *

Craven was crouched in one of the Utopian huts, attempting to rebuild N.I.G.E.L., with Amicus aiding him in the task.

"This robot of yours is quite an achievement, Dr. Craven." Amicus complemented as he tightened one of N.I.G.E.L.'s bolts. "The workmanship is just stunning. I'm really impressed with the artificial intelligence component you managed to incorporate into him."

"I just wish I didn't always have to rebuild him." Craven complained. "It would be nice if I could keep him in once piece."

"Why would you want that?" Amicus looked confused. "It's only by rebuilding that you are able to perfect any flaws. It's one of the Utopian principles. Everything you do and create is a work in progress. If one project falls, you try again, and make it better then it was the first time. If mankind suddenly stopped, and just became stagnant while other species continued to evolve, we wouldn't be able to adapt, and then we'd die out."

"Never thought about it that way." Craven admitted, slightly taken aback by Amicus' views.

"Well, compared to what I can do with robotics, N.I.G.E.L. is already a masterpiece. So any improvement you could make with him would be amazing."  
"You mean you work in robotics, too?" Craven turned to Amicus in surprise.

"Only a little. I could never do anything as advanced as N.I.G.E.L. though. Not without years of self-improvement. But I did help make Luna's…." Amicus suddenly stopped, the expression on his face showing that he believed he'd said too much. "Never mind. It's not my place to talk about that."

* * *

By the waterfall, Monique was practicing her forms. In the middle of her practicing, a long wooden staff swished by, narrowly missing her. Turning on the spot to face her assailant, she found Kinley holding two staffs.

"Care for a sparring partner, Miss Dupre?" Kinley tossed her one of his staffs, which Monique caught without batting an eye.

"You study martial arts?" Monique asked skeptically.

"Since I was six." Kinley replied. "So, would you care to spar with me?" In response, Monique struck out with the pole Kinley had given her. For nearly five minutes, Monique and Kinley sparred with their staffs. The French agent had to admit her surprise with Kinley's skill; he was almost as good as Phillipe. After a few moments, however, they found they had reached a stalemate, with Monique's staff inches from Kiney's Adam's apple, and Kinley's staff against Monique's temple.

"You're good." Monique complimented.

"So are you." Kinley echoed the praise. "I see Luna wasn't exaggerating when she said how skilled you were." At the mention of Luna, Monique's face hardened, and she turned away. "Why are you so angry with her? You were once her partner, were you not? I realize she left the secret service without official leave, but as her former partner, you should know her well enough to know she'd only do so if she had a valid reason."

"And what _was_ that reason?" Monique challenged.

"Unfortunately, Miss Dupre, I'm not at liberty to say. There are things about Luna I don't think even Aaron knows. All I know is that she is not without her secrets. And something tells me that you have kept some secrets from her as well.

"I'm not saying Luna was right in leaving the secret service the way she did. But at the same time, you probably should consider the fact that she'd have had a legitimate reason to do so. Excluding the transgression in question, in the years that the two of you were partners, did she ever give you reason to doubt her, or her judgment?" Monique did not answer, and just stared silently at the waterfall. But as Kinley turned to leave, she finally spoke up.

"Kinley!" Monique waited before the Utopian man had turned back around before smiling slightly, and taking up a fighting stance with her staff. "Care for a rematch?" Kinley returned the smile before obliging.

* * *

"I can't get over how cool this place is!" Randy announced, staring out at Utopia and the numerous Utopians with their Mutant partners. "Having your own personal mutant? That is just _cool_!"

"Hmmm. That's how you describe it, is it? 'Cool'." Randy turned around where Luna was sitting, her back resting against Bamboo, sharpening her dagger on a sharpening stone.

"Are you kidding?" Randy laughed. "You gotta admit how great it is. You've got a mutant, too." A faint smile appeared on Luna's face as she returned her dagger to its sheath.

"Yes. It is nice at times. Nice and peaceful."

"I'd just love it if I lived here." Randy continued, still in awe. "Having my own mutant. One as cool as the G-man!"

"Randy?" Luna interrupted the computer hacker's thought with a distant look in her eyes. "You are right in some aspects to step back and marvel. But you must never loose sight of what comes with the positive elements of Utopia. The Utopian Mutants have never harmed a human, but danger is still no stranger in Utopia. If you only focus on the wonder of what you're seeing, and fail to contemplate the dangers when you act, there may come a time when you pay dearly for brashness."

"Yeah, I know that." Randy shrugged, looking back at the other Utopians. "I go after mutants all the time with H.E.A.T., Luna. I know it's dangerous."

"Good. Just always remember that, Randy." Luna advised, glancing down at her right hand, the one that was in a glove. "I wish I did." Luna's final four words came out in a whisper, so Randy did not catch them.

* * *

While the rest of H.E.A.T. was exploring Utopia, Nick was still with Aaron, discussing Nick's questions about the Utopian society. 

"How did you find this place, anyway?" Nick asked, referring to the underground oasis.

"It was by accident, actually." Aaron explained, bending down by a pool to feed some of the fish swimming around in it. "I was a few years younger then your teammate, Randy, at the time. My friends had dared me to go into the Sahara for a few hours, with only a canteen and some bread. I was young and reckless in those days, so I did it. But while I was still in the desert, this sandstorm hit. In the storm, I couldn't see where I was going. By luck, I managed to find some shelter among some rocky edifice. In doing so, I discovered this cave that led me down here. Once the sandstorm had passed, I was able to find my way back.

"Once the oasis was founded as Utopia, we managed to conceal the entrance from view, by speeding up the weathering process of the rocky edifice. We try to keep Utopia's true location a secret to the outside world. There will always be men who would wish to use Utopia to gain a profit, by turning it into some zoo, or using it to train mutant attack dogs. For that reason, Utopia must always remain hidden.

"So, then Dr. Tatopoulos." Aaron stood up to face the biologist. "If you don't mind me asking, what brought you and your team out here to the Sahara?"

"This man came to H.E.A.T. headquarters, and told us that his nephew was out here for an internship. Their camp was attacked by that mutant fox, Coomba. We came out here to see if we could find the missing students." Nick handed Aaron the manila folder Brookins had given him. As Aaron looked over the photographs, Nick continued. "Apparently, those shots were found in the nephew's camera at the camp, which was discovered deserted and demolished."

"How long ago did this man say the camp discovered like this?" Aaron's brow was furrowed in contemplation.

"It was a week ago."

"Can't be." Aaron shook his head, still pouring over the blurry photographs of Coomba.

"And why's that?" Nick asked.

"Members of Utopia often scout the desert, and no one saw any camp out here at that time." Aaron explained. "The only camp we saw in the past few weeks was seen only three days ago, and that's the one we found you near. The strange thing is the people setting it up purposely put it in a state of shambles. We found that strange, so I've had sentries monitor that area. That's how we knew of the danger you and your team was in. The sentry who was on duty saw Coomba attack your camp and came to fetch me, Amicus, and Kinley. You know the rest. The point is the demolished camp was set up looking that way, so…." Aaron suddenly stiffened. "What was his name?"

"The nephew's?"

"No. The man who gave you these pictures. What was his name?"

"He said his name was Samuel Brookins." The instant Nick mentioned Brookins' name, Aaron's face was as white as a sheet.

"Brookins? Are you sure it was Brookins?"

"Of course, I'm sure. Is he someone you kn…" Nick's words were cut off when Aaron rounded on him, suddenly looking shaken and angry, clenching the photographs and manila folder with a shaking fist.

"Brookins gave you _this_ manila folder, and you _brought_ it here?" Aaron hissed. Before Nick could confirm, Aaron turned and hurried off, with a confused Nick following him. The two men entered one of the Utopian huts, where a Utopian woman was in the process of recording something on a hand-drawn map, a mutant moose lying by her side.

"Martiza!" Aaron spoke with a slight hint of panic in his voice. "Where's the tracking sensor?"

"Aaron? What's wrong?" Martiza looked up, visibly worried by Aaron's tone. In response, Aaron held up the manila folder.

"Our guests have brought this with them." Aaron replied, this time with a strong tone of anger. "Dr. Tatopoulos just informed me that it was given to them by Brookins." Martiza's face paled instantly, and she quickly took out a device from a nearby crate. As Aaron took the device, Nick finally stepped in. This time, his confusion was beginning to ebb away to understanding.

"Aaron, who is Brookins to you?"

Aaron didn't answer Nick. Instead, he ran the sensor up and down the manila folder. When the scanner was hovering over the middle of the folder, an electronic beeping suddenly filled the hut. His face contorting, Aaron dropped the folder to the ground and crushed it beneath his feet. As he did so, the faint sound of an electronic chip snapping in two could be heard.

"Brookins," Aaron finally looked up at Nick, "is Utopia's greatest threat. For years, he's been trying to find our secret location. Now, thanks to you and the tracking device hidden in the manila folder he gave you, he knows where we are." As Nick's realization of how he'd been tricked into leading Brookins to Utopia sank in, a loud explosion rang through the air. Simultaneously, Nick, Aaron, and Martiza hurried outside of the hut. From where they were standing, they had a clear view of the entrance to Utopia. A large cloud of dust and smoke was obscuring the entrance from view. Standing on the cliff overlooking all of Utopia was the mutant fennec fox, Coomba. As Coomba let out a high bark, a man emerged from the cloud of dust and smoke, a man in his late fifties who was leaning on a cane.

"Brookins." Aaron growled, anger completely consuming his face.


	7. Utopia Falls

**AN: **Finally, I'm back. Extremely sorry for it taking so long. I know there's no excuse, but in my defense, it took a while for the Godzilla inspiration bug to come biting, then once it did, I had difficulty in contacting my beta reader. Finally, when I was ready to post this long-awaited chapter, the site was having another glitch, and I had to give up and try again in the morning. Anyway, I really hope this is worth the wait. Enjoy.

* * *

Mere moments after Utopia had been infiltrated, everything went out of control. In one great leap, Coomba dove off the cliff overlooking Utopia and landed somewhere within the underground oasis. Everywhere, sudden cries and roars from the Utopian Mutants filled the air, accompanied by the crashes of trees falling.

"Dr. Tatapolous," Aaron spoke urgently grabbing the biologist's arm. "We must hurry; come with me, now!" Nick cast one more look at the signs of destruction that were being inflicted upon Utopia before following Aaron in the opposite direction, with Martiza and her mutant partner close behind. Aaron led the group to a towering rock that stood between two thick trees, where the leader of Utopia pressed a knot on the left tree. Immediately, a hidden door appeared in the rock, which he quickly ushered everyone through. The very moment the three humans and Utopian mutant were inside, the door closed behind them.

"Where are we, now?" Nick asked.

"Inside the tunnels," Aaron explained, starting to bring the small group further along the passageway. "They were built for emergency purposes, such as what just happened. Not many Utopian members know exactly where the entrances are. This is to reduce the chances that a spy or traitor will be able to use the information to their advantage. In dire emergencies, the select few Utopians who know the location of the entrances are to gather as many as they can and get them all down into the tunnels."

"And what happens if you can't get to one of the entrances, or aren't near someone who knows where they are?" Nick questioned, starting to worry. "In case you've forgotten, my team might still be up there."

"I can assure you, Dr. Tatapolous," Martiza replied, "each of your friends was with one of the select few who know the different locations. Chances are they made it out, too."

The tunnels led them all down to a cool, dank cavern by a lake, almost pitch black until Aaron and Martiza activated a hidden switch, which filled the cavern with light from lamps disguised as mounds of underground fungus and stone columns. From above their heads, Nick could still hear the faint sounds of Coomba's rampage in Utopia. For the second time since Utopia had been infiltrated, Nick started to worry about, not just his teammates, but for the members of Utopia as well.

Almost as if they had been summoned by his worries, a rather small group of Utopians started to come into the cavern as well. Immediately, Nick caught sight of his friends among them. Elsie and Craven were supporting a Utopian woman with a pronounced limp, while Randy was carrying a small Utopian child. Monique was at the very back of the group of evacuees, no doubt following her militaristic instincts and insuring that everyone managed to get to safety.

"Good to see you're all safe," Nick spoke to his team, as Randy, Craven, and Elsie passed the Utopians they were helping over to someone else.

"Aaron!" A Utopian suddenly spoke out, spotting the Utopian leader as Luna stepped up to his side for a private conference. "Aaron, how did Brookins find us?" This one question opened the floodgates to the shock and fears all the other Utopians were feeling. Immediately, everyone started to ask similar questions as to how Brookins managed to infiltrate Utopia.

"It's my fault," Nick admitted, the guilt hitting him hard. "I was the one who believed Brookins' story about the missing students, and brought the bugged folder here. If I hadn't brought it along…."

"Dr. Tatapolous," Aaron interrupted. "You mustn't blame yourself for this. You don't know Brookins the way we do. He's extremely intelligent, right up to the point of being deviously cunning. Believe me, he would have found the location of Utopia one day regardless."

"Even if he wouldn't have succeeded without tricking you," Luna added, "no one here blames you. It's clear that you were duped. Everyone makes mistakes; it's human nature. Right now, all that counts is how we can reclaim Utopia."

"But how?" The injured Utopian who Elsie and Craven had been helping asked, clearly seeing the matter as hopeless. "The Utopian Mutants were not raised for fighting, especially not a mutant like Coomba."

"Hey, it's cool," Randy announced confidently. "Godzilla can take that fox on, no problemo. _Nothing_ can stand up against the G-man."

"I'm afraid that might not work this time," Kinley replied morosely. "I have reason to believe that some of Brookins' followers infiltrated Utopia before the Symbiosis Ceremony took place. When I saw Godzilla while we were evacuating Utopia, it looked as if he'd been heavily sedated. Earlier, Carlie, the head of our medicinal team, had informed me that she noticed some sea milkwort roots were missing from our medicinal stores when she was doing inventory. It looks as if Brookins' agent mixed the roots with Godzilla's fish."

"Boiled sea milkwort roots were once eaten by Native Americans to induce sleep," Aaron explained for the benefit of H.E.A.T., realizing that they might not know that much about the medicinal properties of various plants. "If your Godzilla has eaten them, then it's quite possible he would be too lethargic to even defend himself."

"Don't you have something to combat the milkwort roots?" Elsie questioned.

"Not without preparation, no," Aaron shook his head. "And if we did, there's very little chance of getting it to him without getting caught. By now, Brookins will have his agents all over the place."

"You haven't explained _who_ Brookins is, Aaron," Monique pointed out. "Why does he want to invade Utopia in the first place?"

"Of course; you wouldn't know," Aaron nodded in understanding. "Well, you see, Brookins and I were once on rather good terms. Utopia was actually a shared dream of ours; a place where humans could live in peace with the mutants. But, as time went by, we began to realize that we were on different pages, and that we weren't seeing eye-to-eye on what kind of relationship we were to have with the mutants. Brookins intended to have the mutants exist as our slaves, not our equals. Because of that, it was clear that he couldn't be allowed into Utopia. Having Brookins in charge would have meant that the Utopian Mutants would be raised as weapons of war, instead of the living creatures they were. He was cut off from Utopia before it became a reality, but that's never stopped his ambitions in using the mutants in order to gain a position of supreme power, by overturning the world's great powers."

"He's going to use the mutants as weapons?" Nick gaped in realization.

"We're quite sure that's his eventual plan," Luna confirmed, rubbing her right hand over Bamboo's head, who was perched upon her shoulder. The knowledge of what Brookins controlling Utopia meant was mulled over in Nick's mind. All things considered, it would be just like that last incident with the Tachyon Aliens, when they had sent the mind-controlled mutants to attack the world's major cities. There was no way he could let that happen.

"Aaron," Nick began after he had spent a moment thinking about the matter. "I want to help you get Utopia back from Brookins."

"We're what?" Craven cried in shock. "But how? Kinley just said that Godzilla's been sedated. There's no way we can do anything against Brookins without him. He still has Coomba, remember."

"If we don't do anything, then Brookins will get control over the Utopian Mutants. It's our fault he found this place, so it's our responsibility to help stop him from taking over." The rest of H.E.A.T. were silent after Nick's words, until Elsie spoke up.

"So, what's the plan for getting Utopia back?" She asked. "There's still the problem of getting past Coomba."

"Based on the body mass of Godzilla," Amicus mused out loud, "the effects of the milkwort root wouldn't last too long. Just long enough for Brookins to have him securely restrained. If we could position ourselves to capture Brookins' agents at the same time that the milkwort root wears off, there might be a chance."

"And what of the fact that Godzilla would still be restrained?" Monique pointed out

"Bamboo could handle that," Luna stepped in. "Even at this size, his jaws are quite strong."

"Dr. Tatopoulous," Aaron interrupted. "Are you quite sure you're willing to do this? Remember, you have no ties to Utopia, so this is not your battle."

"I already told you," Nick insisted. "It's our fault Brookins got here, and I'm not about to let him use the Utopian mutants like weapons."


End file.
